CanINE Express Transport Project

Updates!

Taco (now Sammy) was adopted from CAPL in July 2012 from Owen County Humane

My name is Michelle Betkoski and our family is the proud and gracious owners of Taco (who we have re-named suitably Sammy!") He is the most goofy adorable dog that I have ever met! So full of life and vigor!
I'll give you a little background of our "family" -as I know as an animal lover- it is important to know and be comfortable with where our loved ones go! I have a son who will be 13 on August 1st. He was born very ill with End-Stage Renal disease. Jaret has had over 28 operations from feeding tubes to colostomy bags and has been through hemo and peritoneal dialysis. 2 months before his 3rd birthday, he received my kidney and is doing WONDERFUL! He plays basketball and baseball and has always wanted a doggie. He survived the ordeal but my marriage unfortunately didn't. I was divorced 3 years ago and moved from Kent Ohio into an apartment in Aurora (NO DOGS ALLOWED!) Jaret was devastated. I promised him once we moved into a home and got on our feet, I would get him a dog.
Fast foreward to January 3, 2011. I met a wonderful man who is a firefighter, EMT, paramedic who works out of the Youngstown Air Force Base but lives in Lyndhurst Ohio. He asked me to move in with him in the beginning of this year and we did on June 1st-with the stipulation that a dog would soon join us!
When I took Jaret to the shelter last week, he instantly fell in love with Taco. He stated that he himself had medical issues, His grandma has heart issues and I had back issues. Who are we to pass this Taco up becase he wasn't "perfect"! I knew then and there this was the one! We put a deposit down, came home and did some adjustments to the house (after an expensive trip to PetsMart!) and on Tuesday July 17th, our family grew by 3 feet!
Sammy is fearful to walk from the carpeted area to the hard wood and tile floor but is getting the hang of it. We went to the doggie park and EVERYONE there was amazed at how adapted he was and how fast! He literally looked like the RoadRunner whizzing around the place! He just WILL NOT go potty for us while on the leash! I walk him 1-2 miles every morning but he simply will not go. We have a tie-up in the yard and he LOVES sitting outside, sniffing the wind and watching the squirrels. He slept with my son and I his first 2 nights sprawled out in the Queen bed but last night he was solo in the living room on his padded bed all by himself! He even loves his spacious crate but we don't make him go in there-only when he wants to. He came to a house that has a big black cat named Georgie and a little tabby named Monie and they just pass eachother and sniff. I don't think he minds the cats but the cats mind him!!!
I've attached a few pictures so you can see him. Please feel free to e-mail me anytime for updates. We have had lots of visitor doggies and family come by to see our new addition! We feel completely blessed to have him in our life! Thanks to foster parents like you and the APL for doing what you do and making dreams come true. I know this will be an everlasting friendship as he already owns a piece of my heart!
Sincerely,
~Michelle Betkoski (Sammy's new mommy)

BOWSER:"We adopted Bowser from Baypath Humane Society. We just love him! Thank you so much for bringing him

into our lives!"

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STUART: A 5 year old Irish Wolfhound from Labor of Love in Mitchell, Indiana. Transported to Save A Pet in Woodstock, Vermont in October, 2008. Email message from adopter:

"Stuart is taking a nap now with Gary with his head on Gary's body. I will have to get some pictures to youwhen Gary can show me how to use his camera. He is so very sweet, and so smart! We have not left himfor a moment. We needed to get to the post office to mail out taxes and Stuart went with us very happily.When we stopped he was worried and whined so I stayed with him while Gary went in and he never tookhis eyes off the door where Gary went in. I talk to him all the time, telling him not to worry that we will neverever leave him and that we love him so very much. This was a great time for us to be taking him in while Garyis home too so he can feel secure. I was able to take my mom to the doctor's yesterday while Gary stayedwith Stuart so that was great. I just can't imagine how his family could give him up. I made him anotherbig pot of food last night for him. He is eating extremely well and cleans his big bowl, which I then refill. We are feeding him this quantity in the am, mid afternoon, and late evening. I am figuring if he did eat 7 cups of dry food previously, then to gain weight he needs much more, esp of wet food as it has much more moisture. We do mix in the dry with it as well. He has had no incidence of scratching, no sign of discomfort on his skin, and going to the bathroom just fine, so I think this homemade food seems to work for him. I am going to call the vet hospital that said he had allergies and find out what triggers them if they know. I am still decifering all his records. Stuart spends his time either eating in the kitchen and then sleeping in our old master bedroom which happily is very large and Gary is using it for an office so Stuart is very comfortable here as Gary is on the computer all day. When one of us leaves the room he whines softly but is okay as long as one of us stays. I am sure in time he will leave any insecurities behind, meanwhile we adore reassuring him. We go out for walks 3 times a day, and he is a joy to walk. We have a large field across the street which Stuart likes to walk around with us.

We feel so very lucky to have Stuart and can't thank you enough for making it happen. We will value each day and moment we have with him! Stuart was siting down with his paws crossed over one another as Baron used to do, so it made us smile. Stuart is everything we could possibly hope for in a dog plus a whole lot more!"

-- Heather and Gary

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OTIE (aka Yodi) was transported from Rescue Farm in Indiana to New Hampshire SPCA in 2008...

"Thank-You for all you do !!!! We are now calling Yodi,,,Otie,,,We absolutely LOVE him. His Best friend is Taylor my 8 year old daughter, They are made for each other. He is not nervous about a single thing. He Loves our cat, also an alumnus of Stratham, SPCA. He is truly the best dog for us, Happy, healthy and today had his first visit with Dr. Hill. He is perfect. We will be in on Saturday to visit his friends and former caregivers. We were patient and checked the website often for the right dog for us. Though we didn't see him on the website, it was our lucky day , just popping in and finding him! Thank-You, again!"

-- Leanne and Taylor

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JOEY (aka Jester) was transported from Indianapolis Animal Care and Control to Frontier Animal Society in Orleans, Vermont in March 2008 ....... Email message sent from adopters on March, 2009 ....

"We adopted Jester (now known as Joey) from your place on 3/16/08. Just thought you

would want to know that Joey has been truly awesome for our family. We are amazed how fast he adjusted to a house with 2 teens and 3 cats -- it was within days! He is very sweet, energetic but also knows when bedtime is and settles right down on our bed !!! He has slept there every night since we owned him. He has never made a mess in our house and trains fast. He can't get enough walks and that has been good for me, my husband and our waistlines! He eats well, plays like a big dorky kid but is always smiling. We love him!

We could go on but felt we should let you know that Joey is doing great here in South Burlington, VT.

Thanks!

P.S. That little guy Max looks adorable you have (the Bernese Beagle dog); very tempting, but I think 3 cats and 1 dog is enough for us right now.We have thought about getting Joey a sister or brother someday."

-- Lori and Charlie

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MAGGIE was transported from Indianapolis Animal Care and Control to Frontier Animal Society in Orleans, Vermont in January 2009 ....... Email message sent from adopters in March 2009

"Just a quick note to let you know how very happy we are with our little girl Maggie. She's settled in verywell now and seems a different dog than the one we picked up. Maggie doesn't just jump off of the bed; sheleaps into the air, does a half twist and nails the landing proudly. She and our Pomeranian Smokey are on amission to rid the bird-feeding area of squirrels (good luck with that) -- they barrel out the back doortogether and fly to the birdfeeders to give chase around and around the woodshed. Other than some nervousdiarrhea when we first brought her home, she's scrupulously housebroken and always comes when calls (well,OK, not if she's chased a squirrel up a tree). Her tail is carried high as she trots along on our dailywalks. She carries any available clothing belonging to Mommy out into the living room each day, but neverdestroys anything.

Our granddaughters came over to meet her after one week and she barked the entire time at them. This week weheld a meeting of over a dozen people in our home and Maggie never barked at all. She did stay in the diningroom, with her feet and her nose over the threshhold into the living room where all the people were,obviously longing to be with her Mommy but not quite daring to cross the room full of strangers. She didn'tlook terrified, just cautious. What a long way she's come!

Thanks again -- we love our little girl!"

-- Elaine and Steve

From Foster.com in New Hampshire: January 13, 2010 "A New Leash on Life: Blind Dachshund Melts Portsmouth, NH Owner's Life". This dog was pulled from Indianapolis Animal Care and Control by Rescue Farm who then sent him to New Hampshire SPCA.

Thanks for the email. Zeus is settling in nicely and is definitely feeling at home and part of our pack. He's gained 10 pounds since we brought him home and is very active and loves to be with us. He adores being in the car and is always up for playing inside and outdoors. We kept his name, since he responded to it and it fits his personality. His first vet visit went great. He was very relaxed and got a good check up. We're now seeing that he has shoulder pain in both his front shoulders which the vet say could be hereditary and he limps from time to time, but it doesn't slow him down. We're all keeping an eye on him to make sure we can keep him healthy and happy.

He's doing great off leash and is really good with other dogs, as well as people. Zeus is very inquisitive and is ready to take on the world, unless he gets distracted by a chipmunk and then he's sole focus is on tracking it down (which he's not very good at yet). We're starting a manners and agility class to reinforce his already good behavior. He sits, stays, lays down and comes on command (again, as long as there are no chipmunks around to distract him). He's come a long way with the food aggression he had when he was at the SPCA. He lets other dogs play with his toys, shares his treats and will sit and wait for his dinner until he's given the ok to start. He definitely drools....but otherwise is a patient waiter.

Below are pictures (we take so many!). He loves playing in the tall grass and has recently found turtles and snakes...both of which he likes to lick when he finds them. His midwestern roots show - he loves to eat flowers! We're working on looking, but not touching/eating them.

He is a great companion, an excited explorer and a wonderful addition to our family. We plan to bring him by the SPCA in the next month or so, so everyone can say hi to him.